NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – The United Nations warned that global efforts to end violence against children remain off track for 2030. The assessment comes 20 years after the landmark UN study on violence against children. A new progress report says conflict, displacement, climate hazards and digital abuse have widened child protection risks. Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, compiled the latest assessment. The 81st UN General Assembly session will consider the report this month.
Child protection efforts face mounting pressure from conflict, climate and digital abuse.
The report says almost 19% of the world’s children now live in conflict zones. That compares with about 10% during the 1990s. By the end of 2024, conflict and violence had displaced 48.8 million children worldwide. The total was nearly triple the roughly 17 million recorded in 2010. It includes refugee and asylum-seeking children, along with millions uprooted within their own countries by conflict and violence.
Climate hazards are adding another layer of risk for children around the world. Nearly half of all children, or 1.1 billion, face at least three overlapping climate hazards. Almost every child faces at least one such hazard, according to UNICEF’s 2026 climate risk assessment. More than 4 million children face as many as six overlapping threats. The hazards include drought, extreme heat, heatwaves, floods, fires, tropical storms and sand and dust storms.
Digital threats deepen child protection concerns
Digital environments have also expanded the range of threats facing children, according to the UN assessment. About one in three internet users worldwide is under 18. More than 300 million children each year experience online sexual exploitation and abuse, according to data cited by the UN office. At least 1.2 million children said artificial intelligence had turned their images into sexually explicit deepfakes during the previous year. Other risks include cyberbullying, fraud, identity theft, trafficking and harmful content.
A 2025 poll by M’jid’s office gathered responses from more than 30,000 children across all regions. Sixty-six percent of respondents said they believed cyberbullying had increased. One in two children did not know where or how to report cyberbullying and obtain support. The report also identifies hate speech, privacy violations and criminal recruitment among online threats. Emerging artificial intelligence tools have added new risks involving deepfakes, automated targeting and manipulated digital content.
UN report calls for stronger prevention and protection
The report calls for a coordinated approach based on prevention, protection, participation and accountability. Its recommendations include national strategies aimed at ending all forms of violence against children. It also calls for legal prohibitions, stronger data collection and more investment in child protection systems. The UN office says digital safeguards should include stronger privacy and safety measures across platforms and artificial intelligence systems. It also supports accessible reporting mechanisms and meaningful child participation in decisions affecting their safety.
M’jid has served as the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children since July 2019. Since then, she has conducted 65 country-level visits and met senior officials across national and local governments. Her engagements included 35 heads of state, heads of government or their deputies, plus 728 ministers and senior officials. The latest report also estimates a $393 billion annual global cost from lost human capital linked to mental health conditions among children. The UN assessment says the 2030 goal to end violence against children remains off track.